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How To Write Goal Statements that Work

Since March of this year I have been writing goal statements in a small, unnamed, regular looking notebook that I carry with me everywhere. I just got done revising my most current goal statement and thought I’d spend a few minutes sharing with you how to get started in the world of what I like to call, “Prophetic Journaling.”

Don’t let those last two words above scare you. I’m not talking about some new religion or saying that we are prophets, I’m simply creating a catchy name for a product I’ll be launching soon. As always, you lucky few here get to the meat of the product for FREE all because you’ve been blessed enough to stumble upon this site.

So what is Prophetic Journaling? I thought you’d never ask! Prophetic Journaling can be defined as:

Writing down that which you intend to happen in your life.

Short and sweet, huh? The basis of this idea comes from the study of many different “self help” books and even goes back to the classic book, “Think and Grow Rich.” To get started with your own Prophetic Journal, you need only follow a few quick steps.

1) Decide what you want to be, do, or have.

This can be tough if you’ve never done it before. It took me about 3 hours when I made my first journal entry. Now, I update and make changes about once a month and it takes somewhere around 30 minutes.

This means that instead of saying I want to lose 30 pounds, say I have lost 30 pounds or I weigh (enter goal weight here). The premise of this is rooted in congruency. Us humans get caught up with being congruent all the time. We can’t say we’re one thing and consistently do something that goes against what we say we are. That’s why the word hypocrite is such a nasty term in humanese all around the globe.

3) Write out your Prophetic Journal statement in a form that is pleasing to your eyes and mind.

As long as it makes sense to you, it makes sense. I usually begin mine with a positive affirmation that I hold true. Right now, mine begins with my phrase, “Today is the greatest day in the history of the world.” When you have written down all your goals, you should have about a full page of goal statements.

4) Commit to reading your goal statement or as I like to call it take the “Biblical Challenge.”

What do I mean by Biblical Challenge? Well, if you’ve ever read the Bible or even gone to Sunday School once or twice you’ve no doubt heard the story of the Noah and the great flood. How many days and nights did it flood? 40. When Moses fled from Egypt on a hiatus from his fellow Jews, how long was he gone for? 40 years. When Moses came back and led the Jews to the Promised land, how long did they wander in the desert? 40 years. When Jesus fasted and prayed in the desert how long was he gone for? 40 days, seeing the pattern yet?

I believe that 40 is a strong number with much spiritual significance. I mean, why else would it appear over and over again in the bible and usually in regards to some sort of a trial or challenging time? That is why I want you to COMMIT yourself to reading your goal statement for 40 days and 40 nights.

Now that may sound like a lot, but it really isn’t. Start with 1 day, then 1 night, then a week, then a few weeks, and then you’re pretty much at 40 days. It’s not hard, trust me.

5) Cleaning up the Details

I have made this article very intangible in some ways, so I want to make sure you understand the key concepts. I’ll also come back later and type in a copy of one of my first journals for your review. I’ll update the link on here when that’s done. The only other thing I want to stress is that you hand write the page and keep it near your bedside. Read it OUT LOUD when you wake up and before you lay down for sleep. Writing with your own hand creates stronger neural pathways and reading it out loud in your own voice takes it one step further because it causes the stimulus to cycle twice through your brain. Once when you read the words and again when you hear the words being spoken. This combination is powerful.

6) When you feel compelled to do or not to do something, heed your own feelings.

The greatest thing will begin happening when you write your goals down in a Prophetic Journal, you’ll actually begin to see the incongruency in what you are saying to yourself everyday and the current life you’re living. Pretty soon, you’ll begin to feel like you want to make changes. The important thing is to DO IT!

You see, we humans CAN’T live incongruently. We either are one way or we aren’t. Prophetic Journaling FORCES you to choose. When you commit to reading your statement for 40 days and nights, you will have to start making changes to your lifestyle or quit reading the statement. There is no other alternative. You can’t say to yourself twice a day that you are a thin person and continually go out eating bad food and not feel any twinge of incongruency in your actions. Let this power work for you!

I dare you to write your statement, read it for 40 days and nights, and see what happens. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the results. 🙂

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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About Me

I am an entrepreneur & coach specializing in business growth and digital and direct response marketing. I run a small coaching & consulting firm helping businesses achieve maximum profits. In 2012, I was on a weight loss TV show called Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

On this blog, the topics we talk about are business growth strategies, start-ups, personal development, leadership, and health and wellness. I love helping people develop and creating growth strategies for businesses of any kind. I am in the process of writing my first book.